Decentralisation Programme.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 March 2007

Tuesday, 20 March 2007

Questions (611)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

681 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of civil servants in his Department who have transferred to offices outside Dublin under the decentralisation programme to date; the percentage of these who had a previous transfer within a two year period of the decentralisation transfer; the number of these people who transferred from a non-Dublin office to a Dublin office in the initial transfer; the average time spent in the Dublin office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10526/07]

Written answers

Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Éamon Ó Cuív)

To date 79 officers have transferred to offices of my Department outside Dublin. This does not include officers who transferred from my Department to other Departments under the decentralisation programme as I have no information with regard to their subsequent onward movement in other Departments.

Of the officers who decentralised in my Department, 45 were Dublin based and 34 were not based in Dublin. Sixty-four had transferred into this Department under the decentralisation programme and records indicate that 3 of those had had an inter-departmental transfer in the 2 years prior to transferring to this Department.

Only one officer transferred from a non-Dublin office to our Dublin office. The officer in question undertook training in this Department over a 21-week period before relocating to Tubbercurry.